Singapore/Tokyo šC U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Saturday of the imminent and ¡°real¡± threat posed by China to democratic Taiwan, urging Washington¡¯s regional allies and partners to ramp up defense spending ¡ª possibly to as high as 5% of gross domestic product.
¡°Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo Pacific,¡± Hegseth said in a speech before a packed house as defense chiefs, military brass and senior diplomats gathered in Singapore for Asia¡¯s premier regional security conference, the Shangri-La Dialogue.
¡°We cannot look away and we cannot ignore it. China¡¯s behavior toward its neighbors and the world is a wake up call and an urgent one,¡± he added, pointing to what he said were ¡°destabilizing actions¡± in the disputed South China Sea and elsewhere.
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